Still in Edge City Patagonia - Photo Essay

This is a guest post by Mäki Ńkàtà, shared here with permission. The views are Mäki's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Edge City.

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What if you gathered hundreds of curious, native creatives from around the world in a small Patagonian town, and collectively prototyped a better society?

Enter Edge City.

From mid-October to mid-November, I lived in the Patagonia edition of Edge City, based in San Martín de los Andes: a quiet, stunning town cradled by Patagonian mountains and glassy lakes. For a month, it became home to a temporary constellation of like-minded people who arrived from everywhere, carrying ideas, skills, doubts, and a shared curiosity about how we might live, learn, labour, and love differently.

Edge City can be understood as “Burning Man for geeks (of all kinds).” Some call it a tech conference meets hackathon. Co-founder Janine Leger likens it to a university campus.

For me, it felt closer to an artist-in-residence program, except instead of a dozen fellows, there were hundreds of us. Co-living, co-creating, testing what something new might look like in real time.

What was it actually like? As they say: a picture is worth a thousand words.

Hello, Edge City Patagonia.

Roughly 600 people flowed through Edge City over the month, including 150+ Patagonian participants and 62 kids. At least 72 countries were represented, converging from across the globe on this Patagonian gem.

We’re here to build. Together.

Many worked in tech. Others were working across the arts, governance, science, and the study of bodies and minds. The common threads? Curiosity. Creativity. Care.

Altered States: Be fit, get high.

Physical activity was a big part of Edge. Staying healthy and active was one of my personal goals, too. I walked, ran, and hiked daily—averaging 12.6 km (≈17,000 steps) per day. Over the month, I logged 34 workouts and somehow became the all-time champion among the activity-tracking app users.

Stats, for the nerds:

• 12 runs
• 7 cold plunges
• 6 acroyoga classes
• 6 partner dance classes
• 5 HIIT sessions
• 4 long hikes
• endless dancing

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By activating physiological sensations, you shift the mind. You get high. Intuitive. Vulnerable. Emotional. You feel better—and you get more honest.

Homo ludens: In all seriousness, we play.

The fastest way to stay creative is to have fun. Sometimes it means going deep into the science of sound.

Connecting, disconnecting and reconnecting.

We were learning to disconnect from the digital world while connecting and reconnecting with ourselves, with friends and strangers, and maybe even with some invisible forces in between.

OMG YES. (Wo)men are thriving AF.

I was surrounded by an incredible mix of creative, unapologetic, driven, powerful, ultra-sexy, strong, entrepreneurial, geeky, funny, and smart (wo)men. Sorry (not sorry), guys, they might not be in for dating (or mating)—unless you’re serious about becoming great friends first.

Still in Edge City

As I returned to my “normal” life, still very much temporary and nomadic, I found myself reflecting, and honestly, continuing to process everything. But the experience sparked something real: I’ve started brainstorming a new creative agency and media platform/brand for independent diplomats, future architects, creatives and catalysts.

Edge City reminded me what it feels like to deeply connect with curious, open-minded people and to create something original together. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible.

I’m already excited to see some of the Edge crew again in Cape Town next March. If you want to hear more about my experience at Edge or the Cape Town offsite, DM me on Instagram (@maki_global) or xpnmaki [at] gmail.com.

P.S. I attended 100+ events, from discussions and dinners to deep listening sessions.

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‍This is a guest post by Mäki Ńkàtà, shared here with permission. The views are Mäki's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Edge City.